Racing for some sweet treats

Another week brings another invitational at Lehigh University, only this time berths in the state meet are on the line.

ANDREW KROECKEL

Another week brings another invitational at Lehigh University, only this time berths in the state meet are on the line.

Today's District 11 Cross Country Championships begin with the Class AA boys race at 3 p.m. on Lehigh University's Goodman Campus 5k course, the sight of last week's Lehigh Valley and Mountain Valley conference meets. The Class AAA boys race is next at 3:30 p.m., with the AA girls race set for 4 p.m. and the AAA girls to follow at 4:40 p.m.

The top two teams and next 10 individual runners qualify for the state meet from District 11, meaning as many as 24 runners can go from each race. Finishing in the top 10 guarantees an individual a trip to the state meet. The cutoffs last year, due to the finishes of the runners on the winning teams, were 14th for the boys race and 18th for the girls race.

Here's a look at the area's top contenders for a spot in the PIAA Championships, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 3 in Hershey:

School: East Stroudsburg South.Grade: 11.Race: Class AAA at 3:30 p.m.Best time this year: 16:37 at Mountain Valley Conference Championships at Lehigh University on Oct. 17.Last year's District 11 finish: 17th, 16:51.The case for states: Aldeen and the graduated Jared Kneebone, who finished 16th for Pleasant Valley last year, were both less than 15 seconds away from grabbing the final two spots a year ago. ... Aldeen's winning time at the MVC Championships would have placed him seventh at the Lehigh Valley Conference Championships, held a day earlier under similar conditions. ... Despite always running alone during league competition, Aldeen has run well at invitationals this year, finishing third at the Lion Invite and second at the Bulldog Invite. He finished 20th at the DeSales Invitational, an extremely competitive meet on a tough course. Having other runners around him should pull him along faster. A top five finish is not out of the question.

School: Pocono Mountain East.Grade: 11.Race: Class AAA at 3:30 p.m.Best time this year: 16:58 flat, fast Pleasant Valley course on Oct. 9.Last year's District 11 finish: 46th, 18:02.The case for states: Conklin, too, should be pulled along by the competition. Once Aldeen pulled away from him when they faced off, he was usually by himself as well. ... Had Conklin run in the LVC meet, along with Aldeen, he would have finished 22nd. ... It's difficult to assess Conklin's performance at the MVC meet (second, 17:23) and project it to today because of the strategy Aldeen used. The Cavalier turned out a 5:10 first mile, hoping to draw Conklin into a race before dropping him in the second mile. How much energy and time could Conklin have saved by running his own race? If he does that today, providing his right ankle is healthy, he could break 17 minutes.

School: Pleasant Valley.Grade: 9.Race: Class AAA at 4:40 p.m.Best time this year: 19:18 at flat, fast Pleasant Valley course on Oct. 9.Last year's District 11 finish: Did not run (was in eighth grade).The case for states: Nothing has slowed Klingel down all season, not age, inexperience or pain. Seemingly impervious to discomfort, the freshman won six times this year, winning the last four dual meets of the year as well as the Bulldog Invitational and the MVC Championships last week. Running in a senior-dominated league, she more than held her own and gained invaluable experience along the way. ... Her finish of 19:36 at the MVC meet would have placed her 11th at the LVC meet, two seconds behind Allentown Central Catholic's Brianna Sweeney.

School: Stroudsburg.Grade: 12.Race: Class AAA at 4:40 p.m.Best time this year: 19:44 at flat, fast Pleasant Valley course on Sept. 18.Last year's District 11 finish: 14th, 19:48.The case for states: Pickarski was a state qualifier a year ago, earning the seventh individual spot. ... The girls race is loaded with talented girls, but most of them will be wearing green singlets. Emmaus dominated the LVC meet and should do so again today, but that's actually a good thing for Pickarski. The more Green Hornets that finish in the top 10, the more spots that will be open for individual qualifiers. ... It's been a trying season for the soft-spoken senior. She wasn't able to train over the summer because she had surgery, she missed two races and two weeks of practice because of a back injury and felt ill before the MVC Championships. Even still, she's more than capable of knocking a minute or so off her time. She ran a 20:41 at the MVC meet last year and turned in a 19:48 on the same course at districts.

School: Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg.Grade: 12.Race: Class AA at 4 p.m.Best time this year: 19:37 at Bangor.Last year's District 11 finish: Did not run (played field hockey until this year).The case for states: In just her first year running, Stuppiello has established herself as one of the top runners in Class AA. She debuted by winning the Class AA race at the Lion Invitational, finishing third overall, and finished second or third in every Colonial League cluster meet she ran in this year. ... She was never able to beat Southern Lehigh's Stephanie Bearish, Northwestern Lehigh's Lindsay Kerr or Notre Dame of Green Pond's Allison Constant, but she did close the gap on them throughout the season. Bearish won't be a concern today, though, as Southern Lehigh competes in Class AAA. Constant, perhaps the top runner in the Colonial League, finished 19th at the CL Championships. She was third after the first mile but was done in by leg cramps on a hot day. ... Stuppiello has run the Lehigh University course three times, making the trip down on her own and with her coach, Daniel Sciarrillo, to get the lay of the land. ... A top five finish is very likely.

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